Yokai Masquerade 2026 at the Japanese Friendship Garden

Yokai Masquerade is Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum, 2215 Pan American Road East, Balboa Park. Check-in starts at 5:30. The garden’s yokaimasquerade page locks the date. Hours, costume rules, and what the ticket covers sit on the FAQ. The Blackbaud cart posts JFGM members at $45 and non-members at $60. Parking is not included.

The ticket covers after-hours viewing of the yokai exhibit, a complimentary dessert bar, carnival games, dancing, and the posted performances. The cash bar and food or merchant vendors cost extra. Programming can shift. The Blackbaud copy also names a yokai parade. Haus of Dragon SD is linked from the event page among the entertainment block; treat any fire set as subject to change until the garden posts a final run of show.

The garden asks guests to come in costume. Costumes have to stay safe and fine for all ages: no graphic or hateful content, prop weapons must read as non-functional, and staff can ask for a brief mask removal at the gate. Kids are welcome. Under 18 should come with an adult. Alcohol at the cash bar is 21 and over with ID, same as other JFG nights.

Yokai here are the spirits and shapeshifters of Japanese folklore. The night is a ticketed Halloween in the garden, after daytime hours close. Buy on the garden cart linked from niwa.org. Refunds on the FAQ closed August 31, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Sales after that are final unless the garden posts a new rule.

Oishii is the same garden on October 4, noon to 5:00, with a five-stop passport and a different ticket. Kiku Matsuri is October 25 at Hangar 858 in Kearny Mesa. Yokai is the Halloween closer after both. The garden’s fall card then moves to Tezukuri-Ichi on November 21, so this is the costume night, not another tasting Sunday.

Balboa Park that Saturday is busy. Free and paid lots sit around the park; Inspiration Point and Presidents Way are the usual walks. Parking is not in the ticket. The garden phone is (619) 232-2721. Education questions can go to education@niwa.org.

Deepotsav is October 3 at the Organ Pavilion, a different holiday and a different ticket. If you want both park nights, they are separate buys nearly a month apart.

The garden is a San Diego–Yokohama sister-city project. Regular daytime hours are 10:00 to 6:00, last admission 5:00, and the grounds can close early for private events. Yokai is an after-hours ticket, not a Free Tuesday. The dessert bar is in the ticket. Food vendors are not.

Our take: buy the member or non-member seat if you want a costume night in the garden with a dessert bar and a posted close. Skip if you wanted a free street Halloween. Arrive at 5:30 if you care about the exhibit before the lawn fills.

When: October 31, 2026, 6:00–10:00 p.m. (check-in 5:30)
Where: Japanese Friendship Garden, 2215 Pan American Rd E, San Diego, CA 92101